His New Beginning
by FantasyLunatic
Summary: She left him. He had his chance, and he blew it. Robin decided to start over. To go back to the beginning. To find a new Meghan. To have a second chance. Please R&R ! this is my first story, so no hatin! I take constructive criticism, so please help me out! Rated T just to be safe in case of later chapters. Continuation-Fic
1. The New Guy

Fae. Fairy. Faery, fairie,Sidhe, the small ones, the little people, the fair folk, the dancers, dioine sidhe. All names for the same thing. My whole life I've heard stories about them. Plays, movies, and books have been made about them. They were what my whole life was dedicated to. I've studied nearly everything that there is about them. But sometimes I wonder.

My name is Cariba Deighan. I'm 16 years old. I have greenish-blue eyes, with medium length lashes. My hair goes way past my butt, and it's kind of a light reddish color. It's usually pretty straight, but sometimes it gets wavy, like the ocean. All the girls are always telling me how jealous they are of my looks, but I don't see what's so great about them.

My waist is long, and so are my legs, and they have enough strength to kick any guy's ass. My arms look thin, but they're actually pretty strong. I beat half the guys in my grade at arm wrestling and leg wrestling. And I can tell you, they don't like it!

My temper is the worst problem I have. I get ticked off with people really easily, and can pack a pretty good punch when they don't leave me alone. Guy or girl. But mostly guys. They are so infuriating! They go around flaunting their muscles, and bragging about who's killed what animal. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a feminist.

Anyway, every day here is the pretty much the same. I live in Portland, Oregon. Every day, I drive my little baby-blue VW bug to the high school. I meet my best friend Tammara, or Tammy, for coffee at the nearby Starbucks. After that, we go to classes, and then occasionally to the mall. Tammy and I are walking back to school now.

" Hey, Bea, what's up? Why so quiet?" Tammy asked.

"Oh, nuthin'. Just running my life through my head. Not that there's much to run."

"As usual. Oh! I almost forgot, stuff's been going' around that there's a new guy at school. We'll have to keep our eyes open to see if he's cute at all."

"Definitely. See you in art Tammy."

"Yep!"

Tammy and I have three classes together. Art, science and choir. The classes we love. Unfortunately, I have math first period. Math is my kryptonite. My teacher, Miss Herran, is okay, but the math itself is what gets me. I walked in, and as per usual, a group of the Pops, or Popular girls, were sitting around gossiping. Except today, they were doing it much more fervently. As I looked around, I saw why. Sitting in the desk right next to mine, was the hottest guy, I had ever seen.

He had gorgeous, bright green eyes, that slanted kind of like a cat's, and the reddest hair Ive ever seen. His mouth was slightly turned up at one corner, as if he were prepared to make a snarky comment any minute. He was lean, but looked like he worked out plenty.

I saw the other girls fuming with envy as I took my seat next to him. Catching his eye briefly, I gave him a small smile and a nod.

"You must be the new guy. I'm Cariba Deighan." I held out my hand and he took it, sending sparks up my spine.

"I'm Robbie Goodfell. It's nice to see that there's a girl who's not gossiping about my good looks."

"You might want to put that ego away, it could hurt someone."I replied with a grin.

"And you've got a sense of humor! Tha-"

"Alright guys, quiet down. We have a new student in our class. His name is Robbie. Make him feel welcome." Miss Herran said.

"Ohhh , she has no idea how 'welcome' the girls will try to make you feel." I muttered.

He glanced at me and smirked."It wouldn't be the first time."

Surprisingly, Robbie paid attention in class, which is not what I expected. He _seemed_ like the kind of person who would slack off.

After the bell rang, I waited for him by the door.

"You can hang with me and Tammy if you want; but you'll have to make your own guy friends."

He grinned at me, and Tammy came walking up.

"Hey, Bea, who's the hottie?"

"Robbie, this is Tammara, but only her mom is allowed to call her that. Tammy, this is Robbie, the new guy."


	2. A Chance?

Robbie POV

I looked over the two girls. Cariba was very similar to me in looks:pale, red hair, green eyes(though not as green as mine) and she looked like she was pretty strong, mentally and physically. Tammy, on the other hand, looked exactly the opposite. She had dark hair, skin, and eyes(which were almost black), and she was short and stocky.

"Sooo, Robbie, where you from?" Tammy asked, raising her eyebrows. I'll have to watch her. In a civilized way, of course.

"I've traveled all over the place. I never really stay in one place for too long."

"Do you want to go to Starbucks with us after school? I'll buy." Cariba gave me a hopeful look.

" I don't have anything else to do, so sure."

"Great!" Tammy exclaimed." See you in choir, Bea. See ya later Robbie." She twiddled her fingers at me and Cariba, and sped away.

"Well, she seems very energetic." I commented.

" Yeah, she's ADHD, she gets really hyper around cute guys, and she's not shy about it." Cariba grinned

"So what's your next class, Scottie? Mine's English II."

"I'm in Health next, and 'Scottie'? Really? How'd you come up with that?"

"Y'know, cuz of your last name. 'Deighan'. It sounds Scottish."

"It's Irish. We better get to class." Then she muttered as she walked away, "Scottie? Really? It reminds of that guy off of _Star Trek_."

I laughed, and waved as we went our separate ways.

****sorry the POVs are so short. I really wanted to get back to Cariba, lol ;)****


	3. Awkward Conversations

Cariba POV

The rest of the day sped by, and soon, Tammy, Robbie and I were all pile in my little bug. I swerved a couple of times, because Robbie kept cracking jokes. He's a really funny guy. I don't know what it is about him, but he just draws attention.

When we got to the mall, I noticed that Robbie shied away from anything metal. _Weird, he must not like metal very much._

We sat down at a table in Starbucks, and Tammy immediately started talking.

"How old are you? Do you have a girlfriend? What's your favorite color? What sort of food do you like?"

"Give him a chance to breath, T. " I scolded.

"Ha ha. I'm 16,no, green, and I really like apples." Robbie said with a grin.

"You don't have a girlfriend? Cariba's been waiting for a guy to come along who isn't a total jerk you guy's should totally- mmmf!"

I clapped my hand over her mouth before she could embarrass me further, and felt my face heat. Glancing at Robbie I saw that he was wearing a wide smirk.

"I apologize for her ramblings. Tammara, a _word_ please?"

"Whaaat? " she complained as I took my hand away. "It's true! You guys would be totally cute together!"

"Are you going to mortally embarrass me in front of every cute guy I meet? That is not stuff you go spouting to people like him!"

" Aww, c'mon. You know you want to. You won't be able to resist sooner or later!" she sang.

I smacked her gently upside the head. "Let's go get our coffee."

As we sat down with our drinks, I fiddled with my had been passed down along my family from my great-great-great grandmother in Ireland.

Robbie poked my hand. "Nice ring, Scottie. Where'dja get it?"

" It's been passed down from my _Irish _great-great-great grandmother. It kinda acts as my good luck charm." I replied,"It's a riddle-ring, and one of the more complicated ones. There are eight parts to it."

"So what happens if you take it apart?"

"I dunno. Mom is always telling me not to take it apart because it's really hard to put back together." I glanced over at Tammy, and saw that she was looking at us with an odd expression on her face.

"What?" I asked her.

"Oh, nothing." She looked at her watch," Crap, I gotta go. Mom's gonna kill me if I'm late again. See ya later chicka!"

She stood and twiddled her fingers at us, and then trotted off.

" I probably go, too." I smiled at Robbie.

"Can I walk you home?" he said, but it was more of a statement than a question.

"Sure, thanks." I smiled as he bowed and offered me his arm, as if he were from medieval times.


	4. Not Right

Robbie POV

Something isn't right. My spidey senses are practically shoving daggers through my back. This girl isn't safe. I've never met anyone with a stronger sense of belief and imagination her age. Her aura is practically exploding with more colors than I knew existed. And I've seen a _lot _of colors.

_Dammit, Puck, quit thinking about her! This never ends well with you! _I cursed myself silently.

As we walked down the street, I kept my ears pricked for any fey sounds.

"Sooo, you're awful quiet. What's up?" Cariba looked at me inquiringly.

" Oh, nuthin'. I just like to listen to the sounds of the night." I grinned at her.

"Do you like to look at the stars?"

"Yeah, but I can never get the hang of all the constellations."

"Ha ha, well, maybe sometime we could go out into the field behind my house, and I could teach ya, if you want."

"Do you have any idea how wrong that sounded just then?"I laughed.

"Oh, you!" She slapped my shoulder lightly, and our eyes met. She held my gaze for a minute, what seemed like hours, and I finally forced myself to look away.

"Is that your house up ahead?"

She nodded. Then laughed."Y'know what? I just walked home, and my car is still at the mall!"

"Wow, I must be pretty special for you to leave your bug in town!"

"I'll call Rocky to tow it to school tomorrow. He's the mechanic."

We walked up to her front gate, and her ginormous dogs started barking like mad. She tried pulling them back, but two big dogs are hard to contain.

"Look out, most of the time, their bark is worse than their bite but I have a feeling-"

I calmly stepped up to them and placed my hands on their muzzles. They obediently stopped barking and sat down.

"Wha-How?" she stuttered, totally flabbergasted.

"I'm good with animals. I'd better go before all the other dogs go off." I glanced at the window of her house and saw who I assumed was her mother.

"Thanks for walking me home, Robbie." I was about to turn away, when she put her hand on my shoulder, and pulled me into a hug. I stood there, shocked, for a few seconds, and then hugged her back.

"See you tomorrow." I whispered in her ear, and then pulled away.

She gave me a gorgeous smile, and then walked up the path to her door, where she turned and waved. I waved back, and then walked away.


	5. Fada

Cariba POV

"Who was that?" my mom asked, when I got inside.

" His name's Robbie. He's new here."

"Where's your car? You didn't crash or anything right?"

"No, I didn't crash. I kinda forgot about it when he offered to walk me home."

"And you just met him today?"

"Um, yeah?"

She gave me a severe look,(which, I might add, she's really good at) and didn't say anything else.

"I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, it was just a friendly hug."

She pursed her lips at me. "Don't do anything that you'll regret, Cariba."

"Mom! Why would you even say that? You know me better!"

"Just a reminder. Dinner's in ten."

"Kay'." I sighed.

I walked up the stairs to my room. As I opened the door, my cat, Pippin(yes, from _Lord of the Rings_) ran screeching out. I lunged and caught him before he left the hall. He was hissing and growling, and his ears were laid back flatter than I'd ever seen them. His claws grasped at my clothes, and I hugged him close.

"What is it, Pip? Something hit the window?" I set him down and walked in to my window. As I was looking down to see if something had fallen to the ground, I heard a sound like a throat clearing from my bed. There, sitting on my pillow,

was a _faery_

I jumped backwards and nearly overturned my whole computer table. The faery giggled.

"How did you get in? I took precautions, just in case, Oh my Gods, I'm talking to a faery!" All my life, I believed in them, and now there was one in my room!

It just grinned. I looked at it harder. It was about the length of my forearm, and willowy thin. It reminded me of the monsters in _Pacific Rim_. It was beautiful in a terrifying way. Haunting, 's hair was pulled into a ponytail of dreads. When I looked closer, I saw that it's "hair" was actually braided grass and leaves. It's eyes were slanted like a cat's, and had no pupil. Just solid black.

" Can you understand me?" it asked.

"Y-yes. What is your name?"

"I am called Fada. who would you be called?"

" I-" _No. Fey take names as power over you._ "I'm Scottie." _Where did _that _come from? Dang it, Robbie._

"Dinner!" mom yelled.

"Ummm, I've got to go. Don't go away."

Fada just stared. I walked out of the room and shut the door.


	6. Changes

Puck POV

"Fada!" I yelled into the night. "I'm calling in my favor!"

"No need to shout, Goodfellow. What would you have me do?"

"There's a girl in that house, there. I want you to make sure that she is safe. Do what ever it takes to make sure she is not harmed by any fey. Understand?"

"Ahh, another lady love, eh? For how long would you have me watch her?"

"Until I dismiss you."

"Very well."

I watched as he flew up to her window and crept in. _Damn, that wasn't what I had in mind. She better not see him._

I walked along the street to the park, where i climbed into a tree. Pulling glamour from the leftover emotions, I fashioned it into a sort of hammock. Looking up, I glamoured the branches to show the sky. Humans wouldn't be able to see as many stars as me. My eyesight is a thousand times sharper than theirs.

I stared upward. Cariba was going to teach me the stars soon. I know I shouldn't get involved with her. But her sense of belief was so strong, it would be hard for any fey who knew her to stay away.

I was lost in my thoughts when suddenly, the tree opened up underneath me.

"Whoof! Hey! What was that for?" I exclaimed as I hit the ground.

"Aww, poor Goodfewwow, wewe you sweeping? We just wanted a word." I looked at the tree just as it's dryad materialized. But, this dryad wasn't right. Dryads are usually docile fey, but this one almost looked... hungry. Two other dryads swept up next to her. They too, weren't right.

"What are you doing? Don't you know it's not polite to wake a man when he's sleeping?" I immediately slipped into my joking self defense.

"You weren't asleep, and besides, it isn't _polite_ to mess up a dryads tree without _asking_." She snarled.

"Hey, now, you aren't looking for a fight are you? Cuz that's really stupid."

"You don't have to fight. We will."

I was about to respond, when I heard Cariba's voice.

"Roobbbiee! You can't have gone far! Where are you?"

"no..." I whispered "NO! GO HOME! DON'T COME OVER HERE!" Of course, that just made her want to come over.

She ran over, and put her hand on my shoulder. I pulled away.

"Robbie, is everything alright? I need to talk to you."

"No, Scottie, I need you to go home _now_! You can't be here." I glanced over at the dryads. Wrong move. She looked over my shoulder and gasped.

"There are more? Here?"she whispered.

I grabbed her by the shoulders. "You _must_ go home, it's not safe here right now."

"Robbie,"she looked me straight in the eye," are those _dryads_?"

I tried to beg her to leave with my eyes, but she stood firm. I let go of her shoulders.

"Yes."

Behind me, the three started hissing.

"She sees us. Her, her belief, her aura, we mu**st HAVE IT**!"

They lunged at us and I pulled her out of the way. They sped past us, screeched to a stop, and turned around.

"Scottie, _please_ go! I don't want you getting hurt."

"I can take care of myself, Robbie. Is it alright if I hit them?"

"Well, sure, if you can get close enough."

"I'm going to need a few minutes. Can you cover for me?"

"Yeah, I've fought worse than this."

She ran over to a patch of grass and sat down cross legged. Then she closed her eyes. After a moment, her aura began to glow so bright I couldn't look. I turned my attention to the dryads. Quickly, I made three doppelgänger.

It was as if after seeing her aura grow, their hunger grew, and with it, their strength. One took down two of my doppelgängers. So only one was left, along with me.

"What's it going to be ladies?"we said together.

They snarled. "We'll just have to kill both of you."

"Aww, now that's not very nice."

"And I think not."said Cariba, coming up behind me.

"Ready. I just had to do a quick grounding." With that, she raised her hands and with them came glamour. I stood stock still.

"Y-you're using _glamour_! How?"

"Humans call it The Pulse. It's the Goddesses life force, and with grounding, we can use it in small amounts." She thrust her hands towards the dryads, releasing a wave of pure energy. They couldn't take it, and ran howling out of the park. I looked at Cariba.

"Scottie... that was... you, you're _beautiful_." She was. She positively glowed with glamour. I had never seen a human do that before. For the first time in my really long life, I was rendered speechless.

"I believe we have some stuff to talk about, 'Robbie'. "

"Take a seat, Scottie."


	7. Puck

Cariba POV

When I came into the park, the first thing I saw was a trio of dryads materialize. The second thing I saw was Robbie _glowing_. I did quick thinking, and took a wild guess that he was fey.

When he said I could hit the dryads, I did the first serious grounding of my life. I have never felt so good, so _powerful_ in my entire life. I don't think that any high from drugs or alcohol could ever match up to that.

After I pummeled the dryads with energy, and they ran screaming from the park, Robbie looked at me, speechless. Then he called me beautiful.

Now here we are, and my brain is bouncing off the walls of my skull, because Robbie just told me everything, and apparently there is a fairy land, called the NeverNever.

"So, wait. Let me get this straight. You're Robin Goodfellow, you're freaking _Puck_, and you didn't think to tell me!?"

" I didn't know if you believed. You can't blame me for keeping it to myself. I mean, we've only known each other for, what? A day? Day and a half?"

"Ok, ok, I guess I can't fault you there. Were you going to tell me?"

"Eventually."

I looked at him skeptically.

"Hey, Scottie, I can't lie. That slip your mind?"

"I believe you. _When_ were you going to tell me?"

"I dunno. After I learned more about you."

"Ok, another thing. There's a faery named Fada in my room. Would you have anything to do with that, perchance?"

"Damn. Can't fool you, can I Scottie?"

"Nope."

"Yeah, I sent Fada to keep an eye on you. I forgot to mention that you shouldn't have seen him."

"Now Goodfellow, was it not better for you though? She saved you from those dryads." said a voice.

I turned my head, and there was Fada.

"Yeah, well, I didn't want her to know about us just yet."

"You did not clarify."

" Hey, guys, I'm still here." They looked at me. ""When can I go?"

"Go where?" Robbie/Puck asked.

"To the NeverNever. Duh."

Robbie/Puck shot up with a terrified look on his face.

"NO! No, you can't go there, no ever! If the courts knew about you, there would be a war about who got to keep you as a pet!"

"Calm down. What's so great about me?" Robbie/Puck leaned down next to me, and took my hands, pulling me up with him.

"Scottie, you're a _human_. That can use _glamour_. How common is that?"

"Well, a lot more common than you would think. I know a bunch of people who do that sort of thing. In smaller doses, though."

"Exactly. You are stronger than any other human I've ever seen. Your body can hold really large amounts of the purest of glamour. You would be a weapon and plaything to the courts. They, especially Mab, would use you until your very life force was gone. You would be nothing more than a walking shell. 'Cmon, I'm taking you home. Fada, let's go."

I sighed, but let Robbie/Puck lead me out of the park.

"Hey, should I call you Robbie or Puck?"

"Robbie for school. I don't care otherwise."

When we got to my house, I sneaked in my window. I looked back and gave Puck a tentative wave. He nodded, then turned and walked away. Fada, however, remained on the lawn. I shut the curtains and went to bed.

The next day, I got up at 6:30. I didn't have to be at school 'till 8:10. That way, I had time to find Puck and meet Tammy at Starbucks. I decided to have a clothing theme of Tolkien merch. Gold leggings with a map of Middle Earth, and a t-shirt with a picture of Tauriel from _The Hobbit_ movie. those are some of my favorite books.

I walked downstairs, careful not to wake up my mom. Going into the pantry, I took out a breakfast bar. I grabbed my bag and went out the door.


	8. Prophecy

Puck POV

I was sleeping peacefully when a very rude Irish girl interrupted my slumber.

"OY! C'mon, Puck, wake up!"

I flailed around for a second, causing myself to fall out of my tree with a yelp. I rubbed my head and looked at Cariba, who was laughing her head off.

"Hey, Scottie, what's the big idea?"

"Suh-sorry, I c-can't help it!" she said between gasps.

I reached up and smacked her head. She looked at me, grinned, and then tackled me, getting her arm around my neck in a headlock.

"Damn, Scottie, you're fast. Where'd you learn to do that?" I choked.

She leaned in really close to my ear and whispered, "I learned from the best... me!"

Her breath against my face sent a shiver up my spine. I wondered if she felt it, because she released me and stepped away.

"C'mon, let's go. I meet Tammy at 7:00. I'mn in the mood for some coffee." She grinned and held out her hand to help me up. I grabbed it, but instead pulled her down next to me. I grabbed _her_ in a headlock and gave her a noogie.

"How do you like me now, Scottie?" I taunted. I released her and stepped nimbly away.

"Jerk." she hid it well, but I could hear the smile in her voice. Jumping up, she punched me in the shoulder and took off. I laughed, shook my head, and sprinted after her.

Half an hour later,m we were walking into Starbucks, talking and laughing, to find Tammy sitting at a booth with her arms and legs crossed, and a sour look on her face. We quickly sat down with her.

"Tam, what's wrong?" Cariba asked in a worried voice.

"Why would you care? You never do."

Cariba jerked back, hurt.

"What's that supposed to mean? I do care, you know I do."

"Oh, so you cared enough to answer the phone last night when I used my one call?"

"Tammy, wha-"

"Bret got us arrested last night. He took us to a 21 and over club, and didn't tell us. Someone called the cops on us. I used my phone call to call you. When you didn't answer, Bret called my mom, and she bailed us. Now I'm not allowed to see Bret except at school. So _thank _you, for _not_ caring. Now that Robbie's here you don't give a shit for anyone else." She picked up her purse and stormed out of the building.

"Tammy, wait!" Cariba yelled, half rising from her seat, but I pulled her back with a look.

"Let her cool off."

She sat down. I looked at her stunned face.

"Puck, w-what just... happened?" There were tears running silently down her face. I went to her side of the table and pulled her into a gentle hug, meaning to be comforting, but she pulled me close and sobbed into my chest.

I held her for a minute, and then lifted her head to look up at me. Taking her face in my hands, I wiped the tears away with my thumbs.

"Hey, it could've been worse," I joked " That could have turned into a cat fight."

" I d-don't cat f-fight. I pummel their asses to the ground." she chuckled wetly.

" Uh, who's Bret?"

"Tammy's bo - _ex_ \- boyfriend."

"Oh. C'mon, we better get to school."

At lunch I was walking down the hall, when I heard a commotion by the girl's bathroom. I turned a corner and saw the unbelievable for a high school.

Three guys and two girls had Cariba up against a wall.

"Haha, you had to go and get the muscle, huh, Tiffany? You couldn't fight me like a woman, could you?"

"Shut up, betch. Tammy is hurt because of you. And Clem, Danny and Noah aren't afraid to beat you into the ground."

"Oh, I'd like to see that, " I commented. "but, wait let me get a camera first. I want to get a video of the biggest backfire ever." I smirked.

"Who the hell do you think you are, punk?" one of the guys said, all of them advancing on me. Cariba gave me a thumbs up over their shoulders.

"Oh, I'm just the bystander. _She's_ the show." I pointed past them.

The one in the middle turned his head just in time for Cariba's interlocked hands to connect with his jaw.

"OOOOOHHHHA!" I yelled "_That _is gonna sting in the morning!"

The other two lunged at her. She grabbed the first one's wrist and judo flipped him onto his back. Then she crouched down and swung her leg at the second, connecting with his ankles, making him face-plant. She looked at the two girls. They tore off like their asses were on fire. The three guys got up groaning, and hobbled after them.

"_MAN_ that felt good!" snickered Cariba, shaking her hands. "That one did have a pretty hard jaw, though."

"Remind me never to get on your bad side, Scottie." I said giving her a high-five.

"We better cover up our tracks before the school security comes and sends us to the princi_pal_." She pulled me to the Lunch Line, where we got our food relatively quickly and sat down at an empty table.

A couple of minutes later, we saw Tiffany point at us to the principal himself. He stalked up to us and glared. Cariba was totally calm as she looked him in the eye and said, "Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes. Did you just beat up Tiffany and her friends?"

"No," she replied.

"Then why does she claim it to be so?"

"Cause she's a lying ho? Can we talk about this in your office? Oh my gods, I just said that didn't I?"

"To my office."

We walked down the hall to his office and he closed the door.

"Now, care to tell me why Tiffany claims you hurt her?"

"She was upset with me that her sister got arrested, and I didn't answer my phone when she used her one call. I didn't have my phone at the time. So Tiffany and four of her friends cornered me before lunch. They threatened me. I didn't touch Tiffany or the other girl."

"But the boys..." he pressed.

"Yeah, I beat the shit out of them, but it was in self defense."

"I bear witness to this incident, sir." I commented. Cariba looked at me gratefully.

"Very well. Just make sure it doesn't happen again, Miss Deighan." He gave her a stern look. " Tiffany, I will have a word with you now."

We nodded to him and went back to lunch, walking past a fuming Tiffany. Cariba smirked and whispered an almost intelligible "Nice try. Your move," at her.

After last period, I was about to open my locker, when I saw a Post-It note jammed into the door. I pulled it free and unfolded it;

"Park. After School."

C

I grimaced. This couldn't be good. Now that Cariba knew who I really was, I was afraid she would do something rash. I know she always believed in the Fey, but now, it was proven to her.

I sighed, grabbed my backpack, turning around, coming face to face with the girl who was with Tiffany when they cornered Cariba.

"Umm, can I help you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I know who you are. I know where you are from."

"Wow, stalker much? I-" my voice faded away as her poukha ears came up out of her afro hair. Her eyes turned orange.

"She will be your downfall. You would have been better off if you had let me kill her. I have 'seen' it. Beware." she walked away, her ears sinking back into her hair, and her eyes fading to brown.

"Hey!" I yelled after her " Wait!" She kept walking. "Cariba..." I turned away from the half fey, and sprinted towards the park.


	9. Yes to the NeverNever

****O my Gods, it has been****_ soo_**** long since I've updated! Good news is that I have done some improvements on my writing style. From now on, I will be writing in third person. I will try to update more frequently!****

**Cariba POV **

Cariba sat underneath one of the tall trees that grew around the middle of the park. Sighing softly, she got up and walked to the small pond that was in the center. Surrounding it were five flowers. The first was a deep pulsing purple tulip. Going to the right was a bright fiery rose, followed by a white lily. The last two were a bright green ivy plant, and a dark blue bluebell. She gently brushed the top of the lily, and looked into the water.

There were six koi fish circling around each other. However, two caught her eye. One was a deep silky black, with pearl white eyes. The second was just the opposite, with the palest of pale scales, and dark shiny eyes. The swam continuously around each other, never stopping, never tiring. Yet, they seemed to realize she was there. She felt herself getting tired, and her eyes began to close. Slowly she slipped her fingers into the water and felt the vibrations of the fins flipping back and forth under the surface. Her arm was under the water to her elbow, when suddenly she felt strong warm fingers gripping her shoulders. They gently pulled her away from the pond, and set her on the grass. She felt a soft breeze across her face, and smelt sweet apples. All at once her fatigue was gone and she opened her eyes to see Puck crouching in front of her.

"Hey, Scottie. You trying to get yourself killed?"

"Robbie? What happened? The koi fish…"

"Relax. It's over. You saw the Yin and Yang. To watch them continuously results in hypnosis."

"Wait, there's Chinese fey in your world, too?"

"Duh, Scottie, we weren't all created by the amazing Shakespeare! There are fey from every corner of this world and many others. Anyway, why did you tell me to meet you here?"

Cariba stood up and brushed off her jeans. " I asked you here because I want to go to the FeyWild, NeverNever, whatever you call it. I have dedicated my entire existence to finding the faeries, and they end up finding me. Please, don't deny me this. Just a short trip…"

"Scottie, I don't think you really understand the severity of this. Going into the NeverNever for a day could mean weeks in this world. Time-"

"Moves differently there, yes, I know. I've done my research on you world. I know that it would be dangerous, but you saw what I did with those dryads! I can take care of myself."

Puck gritted his teeth, and looked down. Cariba knew she was winning him over.

"Three days. No more. I refuse to be the reason your mom thinks you went missing. If we do this, you go by _my _rules. You stay by my side at all times. If either court got a hold of you it would result in a very one sided war. I can't let that happen. Promise me these things. Give me your blood oath."

Cariba hesitated, and Puck's eyes narrowed. "I give you my blood oath that I will follow your rules and stay by your side of my own free will."

"Good. Now follow me, and I'll get the supplies we need."


	10. Into Fairyland!

**Puck**

As he packed their supplies into their knapsacks, Puck thought back on when Cariba was begging him to let her go to the NeverNever. Never had he been won over so easily. All he had been able to think about was how much he had wanted to kiss her right then. Now, he pushed the thought out of his mind.

_Come on, Puck! You can't think like that! You shouldn't even be involved with her._

"Robbie? Are you done? "

Cariba stood at the door to the living room dressed in dark foresty colors. Her shirt had a deep green hood attached to it, and long sleeves morphing into finger-less gloves at the ends. Her pants were light brown leggings with string tied around the calves. She had soft moccasin-like shoes on, and a small sheathed knife on a belt at her waist.

"Wow. You're really going all out with the whole rustic look, aren't you Scottie?"

"Hey, I've always liked that kind of idea. Now I get a chance to try it out!"

Smiling, Puck's mind slipped to the fact that he and Cariba were going on a trip alone together in the middle of Gods-forsaken nowhere, and…

_NO! Dammit Puck! Stop thinking like that. As soon as the day is up, you'll take her home and be done with it! You'll go back to the NeverNever, back to the Seelie court and never see her again._

"Hey, Robbie? Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, uh, nah, everything's fine. Are you ready for this?"

"As I'll ever be!"

"Kay then, let's go find a trod."

An hour later they stood in front of a grove of birch trees, the only one in any of the forest parks of Portland.

"There's a trod here? Where?"

"Just watch." Puck reached out to an opening between trees, and pressed his hand in the open space as if there were a wall there. Suddenly, sparks flew and a grey vortex expanded to fill that area. He glanced over his shoulder at Cariba, who stood with an awestruck look on her face, her hand reaching out as if to touch the swirling mass of nothingness. Gently, he took her wrist and pulled her close to him. His heart was pounding so hard that he was sure she could feel it.

"On the count of three, we're going to jump. You must hold on to me and not let go. If you do, you will be sent to a different part of the NeverNever than where I am planning, and you will become hopelessly lost. Understand?"

She looked into the vortex and nodded.

"One… Two… THREE, JUMP!"

They leapt into the swirling grey mass, and Cariba's arms tightened around Puck's waist. He looked down at her face, and saw the most amazing smile. With her eyes closed and her hair whipping in the wind, he had never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life. She looked so at ease even though they were being magically transported to a completely different world. His heart pounded and his pulse sped up.

_I can't lose my train of thought. Outskirts of the Iron Kingdom. The only place we will be safe._

His grip tightened on Cariba as they got close to their destination.

"WE ARE GOING TO EMERGE INTO THE NEVERNEVER SOON! WHEN I TELL YOU TO RUN, GO AS FAST AS YOU CAN, AND THEN STOP!" he yelled into the wind. Looking down he saw Cariba nod in understanding.

"READY? RUN!" He let go of her and she immediately ran in long strides. Puck rolled out into the greenery of the forest's edge, standing up to see Cariba sitting on a stump with a completely awestruck face.

"Puck… this is absolutely incredible! I have never seen such greenery!" Cariba exclaimed.

"Well, of course not, Scottie. You're in Fairyland now!" Puck replied with a grin.

Cariba laughed, a beautiful sparkling laugh. Puck stared at her smiling slightly as she twirled around on the silver grass. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice her stop and look at him until she waved her hand in front of his face.

"Yoohoo? Anybody home? Whatcha thinkin about Puck?" she laughed.

"Huh? Oh, sorry! I was just, ah- thinking about where we should go first."

Cariba smiled, "I've got an idea. How 'bout we go to that wicked looking metal castle? It's the closest place to us and I am assuming it isn't part of either of the courts, because if it was, we wouldn't be here, yes?"

Puck grimaced. "Yeah, it's not part of the courts, but it's hard for me to go there. That's the Iron Kingdom. I'm a Summer fey. However, I am rather close to the King and Queen. I guess we could go say hi."

"Wait, it's made of Iron?"

"I'll explain as we walk. So you know how there are the Winter and Summer Courts? Well, those have been around for hundreds of years. The Iron Kingdom is really new. It is created out of the modern imaginings of humans. In fact, I'm sure you know better than me that almost everyone now is on some sort of electronic device. That's what they're always thinking about. Therefore, that is what is being created."

"Cool. And you said you know the rulers?"

"Uh, yeah. Kind of a strained history with the king, but I've known the Queen almost all her life."

"What do you mean?"

"The King is an ex- winter fey, so we have always sorta clashed. The Queen on the other hand, is half Summer fey and half human. Her father is none other than Oberon himself, and he assigned me to watch over her as she grew up in the human world. I.." Puck cut off his sentence.

_No. I'm not ready to tell her that. Meghan is just an old friend._

"Puck? You okay?"

Puck nodded and turned away. Looking up, he saw the sky was filling up with clouds.

"Ah, hell. We need to find shelter asap. It's going to rain."

"It's just a little rain. How much could it hurt?"

"Well, seeing as it rains _acid_ here, it could hurt quite a bit."

"Ahhh, yeahh. I see your point. There's a cave over there. Will the acid melt the metal?"

"Nah. C'mon, hurry." He jogged over to the cave, pulling her along with him. "Go ahead and set up your bedroll. These storms tend to last a while."

He watched as she set out her bedroll, and then got out a notebook and pen. She then started sketching.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Don't move, 'kay? I'm drawing you."She smiled slightly as her hand moved swiftly over the page. "I don't draw portraits very often. Your face is good practice."

"Gee, thanks." he smirked.

She finished and handed him the notebook.

"What do you think?"

He looked at the picture. The likeness was incredible. He could practically see the movement of his hair. He looked up to see her waiting intently.

"You are an amazing artist. Leanansidhe would love to have you as a pet." he chuckled.

"Who's Leanansidhe?"

"She's the patron of the arts. If she makes you into her pet, you will go mad but retain your incredible talent for which she chose you."

"Oh, so I'm guessing she's another person that should not meet me?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Oh." she held out her hand for the notebook. He handed it to her and she put it in her knapsack. "Well, I am going to sleep. Is that okay? Or do you want me to stay up and keep watch or something?"

"Nah, go ahead and sleep. I know the dangers better than you, so it's a good idea for me to keep watch."

She nodded, laying down with her back to him. He ran his eyes over her figure, and then punched himself in the head.

_No, no, and no again. Not okay, Puck. Focus on the rain._

He grumbled at himself, looking out at the gloomy sparks coming from all the electronics. He sighed and crossed his legs, and turned away from Cariba.


	11. Iron

**Cariba POV**

As Cariba laid down on her bedroll , she smiled. She could practically feel Puck's eyes on her back. Then she heard him growl and a dull thud. Gently she laughed. She kind of liked the fact that he was beating himself up over the fact that he wasn't able to deny her entrance to the NeverNever. She wondered how he felt. She _had_ caught him staring at her several times.

The actual reason she had drawn him was because she knew that as soon as she got home he was going to leave. She wanted to have something to remember him by. A picture of his face was as close as she could probably get. He didn't know it but there were several more pictures of him folded up in a secret pocket of her knapsack.

Blushing, she drew his face in the dirt next to her. Putting her hand on top of it, she drifted into sleep.

"Hey, Scottie… Scottie. YO ! SCOTTIE! WAKE UP!"

Without thinking, Cariba jumped up, tackling Puck in a headlock with her knee on his back.

"HEY! Hey! Calm down! No need to kill me!"

"Huh? Oh crap, sorry." She released him and stepped away. "Natural instinct."

Puck rubbed his throat and stood up. "Well, I have to admit that your instinct will most likely keep you alive here, with reflexes like that."

Cariba bowed low and formal. "Why, thank you for that comment, good sir. I'm glad that my reflexes are satisfactory." she grinned.

"You are very welcome, milady. Now shall we continue on to the Iron Palace?" he replied, offering his arm.

" I'll race ya!" she laughed, speeding off into the metal wasteland, looking back to see that he was sprinting after her. She couldn't help but try out some parkour on all the metal wreckage. She jumped from ledge to ledge, flipping gracefully up and down, almost as if she was in time with a song. Gently she drew small amounts of glamour from the ground to speed her up. She looked back again and saw that Puck was keeping pace with her, his movements in harmony with hers. She smiled and sped up, twisting her movements into an elaborate dance. He matched her in speed and skill, and did it with a smile on his face.

_Gods, he's amazing. I am so glad I met him._

"Lets see if you can keep up with this, Puck!" she yelled. Closing her eyes, she opened up her body to the energy she felt within the earth. She imagined a pair of black and gold wings on her back, created out of pure glamour. They pulsed in time with her heartbeat, and she flew into the air, spinning her body and dancing on the air.

Puck was once again in time with her, and he too, had a pair of wings. Except his were black and red, and were actually attached to his body, unlike hers, which were held by force of mind. He was was grinning from ear to ear, and flew higher into the sky, challenging her to follow. She obliged.

They spiraled higher and higher, until Puck hovered waiting for her to stop with him. Tucking his wings in, he let himself fall back to the ground, his arms crossed and a smile on his face. Not to be outdone, Cariba did the same.

"AND I'M FREEEEEEEE FAAAAAAALLLLIIINNGGG!" she yelled, laughing maniacally. Right before she hit the ground, she opened up her wings and drifted slowly to her feet. Shaking her shoulders, she let the wings slowly dissolve.

"You're not half bad at flying, Scottie!" Puck laughed.

"Nor you! Of course, you've had hundreds of years of experience. This is the first time I've been able to actually try out that much glamour!"

"For your first time, I was really impressed. Anyway, we're at the palace.I think you'll get along well with the Queen." He walked up to the door and banged on the huge door knocker. A tall man with wires for hair opened it. When he saw Puck, a couple of sparks flew up from the circuits.

"Hello, Goodfellow. Are you here to see Her Majesty?" he asked in a metallic beeping voice.

"Hey, Glitch! Long time, no see, huh? Yeah, I'm here to see her."

"Hm. Why have you brought a human here? You know what might happen if she stays here too long, yes?"

"Yeah, yeah. We're only staying for a little while. Can we come in already?"

Glitch opened the door wider and let them in.

"Razor! Come here and lead the visitors to the Throne Room!"

A thin metal creature leapt from rafter to rafter before it stopped, hanging upside down from a long cable in front of Cariba. It tilted it's head and seemed to analyze her before springing away to the stairs, waving for them to follow. She looked at Puck for the okay, and seeing him nod, she shrugged her shoulders and stepped into the long hallway.

Cariba had never climbed so many stairs in her entire life. When they reached the top of the nearly endless staircase, Razor stopped above a few chairs and pointed down to them, indicating that they sit. Gladly, she fell into one. Puck on the other hand, stayed standing and started pacing back and forth. Stopping for a moment, he got an apple out of his knapsack. After taking a bite he started pacing again.

Cariba stood up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay, Puck? You look nervous."

He looked at her and cracked a half-hearted smile. "It's been a really long time since I've seen Meghan."

"Meghan?"

"The Queen."

"Oh." she took her hand off his shoulder and walked back over to the chair. She had sat for about five minutes, when a stream of metallic fey swarmed out of the double doors. One of the guards motioned for Cariba and Puck to enter. As soon as Puck entered the room, a girl with long white-gold hair tackled him in a hug.

"OMYGODS PUCK! I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN FOREVER!" she screamed. Behind her was a tall, fair man with black hair, and a boy about 15 years old with long silver hair. She could immediately tell that the man was a human, by the way his aura felt, but he didn't _look_ human. Then she remembered what Puck had told her. That the King was an _ex-_winter fey.

She stood awkwardly as the girl clung to Puck, bombarding him with questions. Finally, the silver-haired boy put his hand on the girl's shoulder, motioning to Cariba with his head. The girl quickly regained her composure.

"Who's this, Puck? A human?"

"Yeah, uh, Meghan, this is Scottie. Scottie, this is the Iron Queen, Meghan, the King, Ash, and their son, Keirran. "

"Son?! Wait, you're the _Queen_? Sorry, but you look like you're about 17."

The Queen laughed. "That's because that was how old I was when I came here. In human years, I'm about 28-ish. I think. It's hard to tell here. You, however, are pure human." She turned away from Cariba and looked at Puck. "Why did you bring her here?"

"She is just about as stubborn as you were, Meghan." he replied quietly.

Meghan looked at him, as if searching for something. Then she smiled. "I see. Well, I am assuming that you would like to stay for a little while?"

Puck went back to his usual joking self. " If it will not disrupt the rule of the Great Iron Queen. Oh, and her cohort." he grinned, "Hi, Ice-Boy."

The King,(Ash?) growled. "Goodfellow."

"Well, come on, Scottie, I'll give you a tour of the castle. Hey, Keirran." Puck ruffled the boy's hair as he walked past, earning a punch on the shoulder and a smirk.

After the tour (which was incredibly exhausting, that place was bigger on the inside that it looked on the outside), Cariba went to her room and decided to take a shower. The water in the NeverNever was probably really good for hair. Besides, it was getting dark. She and Puck decided to stay the night there and move on in the morning. Grabbing a towel off the edge of her bed, she went into the bathroom, marveling at how modern and advanced this place was.

After a moment, she turned on the water and stepped in.


	12. Sneaky Meghan

**Meghan POV**

As soon as Meghan heard the shower start, she entered the girl's room. She knew Puck had called her Scottie, but she knew better than most that he was just trying to protect her from the control of the fey. She respected that. However, she wanted to know the extent of their relationship. She saw the look in Puck's eyes when she asked him why he brought her here.

Meghan walked over to the bed where her knapsack lay. Opening it she took out the notebook. Flipping through the pages, she stopped on the picture of Puck. She could tell that this had been drawn with love. Setting the notebook aside, she found a small pocket with several folded papers. She took three of them out and unfolded them. They too, were drawings of Puck. This girl obviously loved Puck, whether she knew it or not. Smiling, Meghan returned the pictures to the pocket and put everything back where it belonged.

She moved over to a chair on the balcony and waited for 'Scottie' to be done in the shower.


	13. In Love With a Faery?

**Cariba POV**

Cariba stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her torso. Bending upside-down, she ruffled another towel in her hair. Opening the bathroom door, she saw a figure sitting on the balcony. Quickly grabbing her clothes, she changed behind the curtain next to her bed. When she stepped out, the figure turned her head towards Cariba. It was Meghan.

"Uum, hi Your Majesty. Can I do something for you?" Cariba inquired.

Meghan smiled. " I just wanted to talk to you for a while. Oh, and you can call me Meghan. I'm not much for the whole regal stiffness." She motioned to another chair that sat a few feet away. "Please, sit down."

Cariba sat slowly. " So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I want to know your real name. I know Scottie isn't it. And don't worry about being overheard. I've placed an enchantment on the balcony. No one but me will hear you. And I give you my blood oath that I will not use your name to control you. I am not like the other court rulers."

Cariba looked carefully at Meghan. She was half fey, so did that mean that she couldn't lie? Her face was honest. Of course, Cariba had seen honest faces before. They were usually attached to liars. She made a decision. She could tell Puck trusted her, so she might as well.

"My name is Cariba."

"I like that name. Now, what's your relationship with Puck?"

"Uh, why do you want to know?"

"Because I want to make sure that he is not going to regret bringing you here."

"I've known Puck for about five days. He came into my school as a new student under the name of Robbie Goodfell." Suddenly, Cariba found herself spilling her guts to this woman she had barely known for a day. No one had ever listened to her as Meghan did.

When Cariba got to the part about Tammy walking out on her, she felt tears well up in her eyes and run down her cheek. Frustrated, she wiped them away and took a deep breath.

"Tammy was the only person who had ever been able to stay around me for more than ten minutes. I felt like she was the only friend I ever had. Everyone I've ever had contact with has thought I am completely nuts. Then Puck showed up. He wasn't immediately scared away by my bold approach. All the guys I've known have wanted to chase a girl. I'm not the type to be chased, so they all stay away from me."

Meghan looked at Cariba with kind eyes. "You really feel alone, don't you?" Cariba nodded. "I can tell you that while you are with Puck, you won't be lonely. He is the Summer Jester, after all."

_Exactly. He's a frickin' faery._

Cariba looked down at her feet. "That won't be for very long then. Tomorrow is the last day here. After that he is taking me home and leaving. I won't see him again." She stood up. "Thanks for listening, Meghan. Now, if I could escort you out, I'm tired." Walking over to the door, she held it open.

Before Meghan left, she put her hand on Cariba's shoulder. "If you love him, he will always be there for you." And with that note, she left the room and closed the door behind her. Cariba stood there for a moment before climbing into her bed and drifting into sleep.


	14. Heart to Hearts

**Puck POV**

As soon as Puck had shown Cariba to her room, he had found a quiet corner of the castle's roof. As he lay there, looking up at the stars, he remembered the first day he knew Cariba. She had offered to teach him the constellations. He smiled slightly at the memory.

He was lost in thought that he didn't hear Meghan until she was right next to him.

"Mind if I sit down?"

"It's your castle, Princess."

"It's actually _Queen_, now, in case you didn't notice." she grinned, sitting next to him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Meghan watching Pucks face closely. He had always had a pretty good poker face, and he knew it.

"She doesn't want you to leave her, you know."

Puck looked at Meghan, startled.

"I know that you plan to take her back to the human world and then return here. That would shatter her. She told me everything that's happened between you two."

Puck sighed. He didn't like letting his guard down. He fought himself, trying to decide what he should say.

"Do you love her?"

Puck looked at Meghan again. The look in his face said it all.

"I lost you to my best friend and rival. I don't want to go through the pain of losing someone else. She's a human. I can't be with her, Meg. No matter how much I want to…" he looked up at the stars. "Taking her home is the best option."

Meghan stood up. "Consider things from every angle, before you decide on something." As she was walking away, a piece of paper fell out of her hand and landed next to Pucks leg.

When Meghan was out of sight, he picked it up and unfolded it. The moment he saw what was on the page, he knew that taking Cariba home would just make things worse. He could never forget her. And she would never forget him. She had memorized his face. Every detail on the paper was perfect and absolute. He folded the paper back up and slipped it into his pocket.

There had to be a way to make it work.

Puck sat on the endboard of Cariba's bed, waiting for the sun to rise. Her hair was splayed around her, the dark red setting off the pale of her face. As the sun broke the horizon, he was sure to keep his distance before yelling, "Oh MY GODS! IS SHE DEAD?!"

Cariba jumped so hard that she fell out of the bed. She looked up at Puck from her mess of hair, giving him a not-so-nice hand gesture.

"Oh, come on, Scottie, that wasn't very nice!"

"Neither is scaring the living daylights out of a sleeping person! I'm gonna kill you, Puck!" She jumped up and ran at him, hair flying.

"WOOO!" He barely managed to sprint out of the way before bolting out the door, Cariba hot on his heels. Looking back, he saw that she was wearing a small smile.

"I must remind you, Scottie, that you did the same thing to me!"

"Yeah, well, apparently, I am much less forgiving than you are!"

They ran down three flights of stairs, into the dining room, where Meghan, Ash and Keirran sat eating breakfast. As Puck slowed to a stop, Cariba slammed into him and sent them both sprawling across the floor, where they came to a rest at Meghans feet. Looking up, Puck grinned at her painfully, on account of Caribas knee in his ribs.

"Pinned ya!" Cariba laughed. She stood up and offered her hand to Puck. He grinned and allowed her to help him up.

"Morning! What's for breakfast?"

Meghan smiled as she took a bite of her Chex cereal. "Whatever you want."

"Well, in that case, I'm going to have an apple." Puck said, pulling one out of his pocket.

"Um, Meghan, can I have some of that Chex? I looks really good, and it's human food."

Meghan nodded and handed her the box, as well as a bowl and spoon. "Of course. Can't have you going crazy." she laughed.

Puck relaxed in his chair and set his feet on the table."We should get going soon, Scottie. I got one place to show you before I take you home."

Cariba looked down at her cereal, and nodded. Pucks heart wrenched. He couldn't decide what he was going to do. And he was getting frustrated with himself. Taking another bite of his apple, he furrowed his brow, thinking. There had to be a way.

Puck stood by Caribas open door, watching her as she folded her blanket and strapped it to her knapsack.

"Come in, Puck."

He walked into the room and leaned against the bedpost. "You almost ready to go, Scottie?"

"Yeah." she nodded. "Where are we going before we leave?"

"It's a surprise, but I think you are really going to like it." He smiled at her, but she didn't return it.

"Puck, I-, I don't want to leave. I've only seen a little bit of the NeverNever, but I love it here. Honestly, I've never felt so at home in my entire life. I mean, I love Oregon, but this place, is just so… perfect."

"I know Scottie, and I'm sorry. I wish you didn't have to go either. But I don't want to get in the way of your family. Your mom would be really worried."

Cariba snorted. "She wont notice. I've always been the second, less-important child. My mom may love me, but she'll be happy that she doesn't have to feed more than two mouths. She's not a bad mother. But I would really prefer not to live with her. It's always Jhonah this, and Jhonah that. Jhonah is my little brother, by the way." She sighed.

Puck frowned slightly. Then he lightly punched her arm. "Hey, c'mon, it's not that bad! Besides, if we don't get going soon, we won't get there in time."

"Time? In time for what?" she grinned.

"That's the surprise." he laughed, and exited the room.


	15. Nature vs A Shirtless Guy

**Cariba POV**

As she and Puck walked in silence, she thought about the parting hug that Puck had given Meghan. She had a feeling that their history went way deeper than just friends. Although she felt bad about it, a pang of jealousy had went through her as he hugged Meghan. Yeah, she wasn't _with_ Puck, per se, but she wanted to be. Her talk with Meghan had really opened her eyes to her own feelings. However, she wasn't sure how Puck felt about her.

Gods! All this was frustrating! Cariba hated playing with her emotions. She wished it would be simple like the fairy tales in books. However, those only happened in _books_. Cariba smacked herself in the head and focused on her surroundings. She did not need to be thinking about this right now.

She looked at the ground as she walked, noticing that it had turned from iron filled dirt to springy moss. It was sprinkled with small glowing flowers. Discerning these she found that the sky had gone dark. Looking up she saw a thick canopy of multicolored leaves. Every tree had a different shade of red, green, blue and orange. Never before had she seen anything even remotely close to this.

The more she looked at the trees, the more detail she absorbed. One tree, she discerned, had a slight silver glow, and another was covered in slow writhing vines. Each one had a different characteristic that separated it from the rest. But for the first time, her attention could not be kept by the nature. Her eyes kept drifting over to Puck's bare back. For some reason he never wore a shirt here. It was like he meant to distract her with his incredibly toned and lean body…No. She shook her head once more.

Puck slowed in front of her and turned around. He grinned while he moved behind her to cover her eyes with his hands. They were warm.

"We're almost there. I want you to be surprised."

Cariba laughed gently and gripped his arm loosely for comfort. They walked a few steps before he switched his right hand to cover both her eyes. From the rustling sounds, she guessed that he was moving something out of the way. Soon they walked another few steps then he stopped her and uncovered her eyes.

What she saw took her breath away.

_**I'm sorry that I haven't uploaded in awhile! I kinda forgot about it (Eek, don't kill me!) It may be a while before another chapter gets uploaded after this because it is being dumb and not coming out the way I want it to. Thanks so much for being patient, and please keep up the critique! I hope that you all stick with me til the end!**_


	16. The Copper Lady

**Puck POV**

As Puck led Cariba through the curtain of vines, his heart pounded. He hoped that she would like this place. He had never shown it to anyone before.

This was an unspoiled part of the Wyldwood, untouched by demons or unseelie fey. It was his special place to escape from the wrath of the Seelie king, among other things.

When he uncovered Cariba's eyes, she gasped. Her face filled with a look of pure delight. Puck's heart warmed at the sight.

He watched as she gently touched one of the many luminescent mushrooms that filled the small valley. Her laugh rang out as several glowworms alighted from the underside of the fungus. She raised her head to gaze up at the small section of sky that could be seen through the thick canopy of trees. The stars had just begun to come out and shone brightly, helping to illuminate her hair.

After giving her a moment to drink in the sight, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down the hill they stood upon and took her over the creek.

"I want you to meet someone!" he grinned, without turning around. "But first, we have to wait for her to come home!" He pulled her over to a large stump and bid her climb onto it. She did, and he followed behind her. "Watch the sky, Scottie, at the opening in the trees."

After a few moments of silence, a roar pierced the air, shaking the leaves on all the trees. The sky lit up with reds and oranges, and once, green. Puck glanced to Cariba, who was leaning forward on the stump in anticipation. He grinned again and looked back at the sky. A flash of scales in the moonlight passed over the opening. He heard Cariba gasp and then squeak.

He chuckled a bit and looked at her, to find her wide eyes staring at him.

"Is that… a-a dragon!?" she stuttered.

Puck just smiled wider and pointed once again at the opening. A wave of air hit the trees, spreading leaves over the valley. Again and again it happened, reaching Puck and Cariba on the stump, nearly knocking them over. Cariba grabbed Puck's arm to keep steady. His muscles stiffened for a moment, but he forced himself to relax. He felt Cariba's hair whip around them at each blast of air.

As they watched, the large form took shape as it lowered itself to the ground. The scales glinted copper and red, seeming like they themselves were the fire that flew from the large intricate head of the dragon. The ground shuddered as its feet hit the ground, sending fireflies up to the branches. It lifted its head and roared, making the air itself quiver. Sparks flew from the open maw, creating an almost picturesque effect.

Puck heard Cariba laugh softly, and turned to her.

"She's beautiful! I didn't know that there could be such a color combination in dragons! The webs in her wings and on her head are so intricate! She is magnificent!" Cariba cried.

" Would you like to meet her?" Puck asked.

"Meet her! Would I. But I'm just a human, surely I don't deserve…"

Cariba's words were cut off by a low rumble and then a hissing of speech.

"_I see you've come home once again, trickster… why are you hiding today, raven?"_

Puck jumped down from the stump and walked calmly over to the 12 foot creature. Gently, he pulled Cariba along with him, receiving only slight resistance.

"It's been a long time, Sorril. I see that you are still scaring away all the birds." he joked. "Also, I'm not hiding this time."

"_Yes… I smell another… who is she?"_

Puck's heart beat faster as he pulled Cariba beside him. "This is Scottie. I brought her to the NeverNever for a few days, and wanted her to see my sanctuary before I took her back to her world. Scottie, this is the Lady Sorrilith, keeper of this haven." Cariba bowed deeply.

"_A… human? Here?"_ the dragon moved her massive head close to Cariba and inhaled deeply. Her claws tapped the ground near Cariba's feet in a pattern somewhat like Morse code.

"You-you're blind!" Cariba breathed.

"_Intuitive, aren't we? You also know I was female when you saw me? The aura on you… it is strong… unlike any I have ever encountered in even a half-fey. A close second to the Iron Queen." _Her head turned to Puck. "_And you brought her here? … I see." _She ceased to speak, and stepped away from the two, drawing herself up to her full height.

"_Tell me, human, do you fear me?"_

"I fear you enough to be wary, My Lady." Cariba replied. "You are indeed impressive."

Sorrilith's mouth curled slightly at one edge in a smile. "_You are wise, youngling. Only fools would not fear a drake, even one of my pathetic stature."_

Puck marveled at how smoothly Cariba conversed with Sorrilith. Her voice betrayed no fear, although he could feel her trembling slightly. Most humans, even fey would run away in terror from a dragon.

Sorrilith tapped the ground at Puck's feet, attracting his attention.

"_Both of you, join me for the evening meal."_

Puck placed his hand on Cariba's back, soothing her as she looked at him for affirmation, and he nodded. Motioning for her to follow Sorrilith, he gave her an encouraging smile. She followed the snaking tail of the dragon, and Puck followed close behind.


	17. Author's Note (and apology)

I'm really sorry that this hasn't been updated for so long, but I managed to hit a block and I can't seem to find a way around it… I'm trying to think on it, and in the process, I'm working on another fanfic. I will do my best to update soon. School is going to start soon, so I'm a little bit stressed, hopefully it won't last too long. If you think there's anything that might help me get going again, please let me know! I'm open to nearly everything right now, so don't hesitate.

I really do hope to continue soon! ~FantasyLunatic


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